‘I don’t mind.’
‘That’s because you’re a superhero.’ Jamie slid his hand into Dino’s. ‘Superheroes don’t mind when things get tough. That’s when they’re at their best.’
‘I’m not a superhero, Jamie. But I won’t let your mum push me away. That’s a promise. How old are you again?’
‘Seven years and twelve days. I don’t know the hours.’
‘Well, Jamie…’ Dino cleared his throat. ‘for seven years and twelve days and I don’t know the hours, you are very wise.’
‘No worries. Any time you need any advice about girls, just ask.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘SO YOU didn’t make it to the ball.’ Ellie gave her a wink and a suggestive smile and Meg gritted her teeth.
‘Actually, it wasn’t—’
‘Honestly, you don’t have to explain. I’m thrilled for you.’
‘Ellie, we’re not—’
‘I knew the moment he saw you in that dress, he’d rip it off.’
Remembering exactly what had happened that night, Meg coloured and Ellie punched her gently on the arm and wandered off in the direction of the radiology department, leaving Meg to stew over her relationship with Dino.
Having not thought about sex for a few years, she suddenly couldn’t think about anything else. And it didn’t help that she seemed to be working every shift with him. Every time she turned round, he was there. And she’d started noticing things she’d never noticed before—like the way he really looked at the patients when he talked to them. The way he paid attention. Listened. The way he kept a cool head no matter what emergency came through the doors of the department. And he was razor sharp. He had a way of sifting through the evidence in front of him and homing in on the important bit that was going to give him the answers. Just watching him work sent a thrill running through her because he was so incredibly clever. She felt a rush of pride and then realised that was ridiculous. What right did she have to feel proud? He wasn’t hers, was he? One scorching night wasn’t a guarantee of a future. She knew that better than anyone.
As the days passed, Meg started to wonder whether their colleagues were engineering it so that she and Dino worked together as much as possible and decided that they probably were. People thought it was a bit of fun, didn’t they? They didn’t realise that they were playing games with something that had the potential to explode and wreck a life. Two lives.
On the fourth day after the ball, she finally lost it. ‘This is meant to be an emergency department,’ she snapped at Ellie, ‘not a dating agency. Why am I in Resus with Dino for the fourth time this week?’
‘Because you make an unbeatable team.’ Leaving that ambiguous statement hanging in the air, Ellie scurried off to meet yet another ambulance while Meg was left standing there, wondering why everyone felt they had to interfere. First her mother then Jamie and now her colleagues.
She felt a flash of exasperation, mingled with fear.
Were they all going to pick up the pieces when everything fell apart?
>
With a growl of frustration, she removed the packaging from a bag of IV fluid and hung it from the drip stand, ready for the next patient unlucky enough to find himself in the resuscitation room.
‘Finally, we’re on our own.’ Dino’s voice came from behind her and her breath caught. Awareness came like a blow to the stomach and Meg tried to calm herself before she turned.
‘Alone, apart from about a few hundred staff and patients.’
‘I’ve missed you. This has been the longest four days of my life.’ He curved his hand around her face, his gaze slumberous and sexy. ‘Can I interest you in hot sex on the trolley? Against the wall?’
Her heart skipped and danced. ‘Show a little finesse, Dr Zinetti.’
‘Finesse? What’s that? In case you hadn’t noticed, where you’re concerned I don’t have any.’ His smile was at his own expense. ‘Remind me.’
It was impossible not to be flattered by the masculine appreciation burning in his eyes. ‘You’re obviously feeling rather—’
‘Desperate?’ There was a husky note to his voice. ‘You could say that. I want you, Meg. Every minute of every day. And every minute of every night, but let’s not go there.’
His words cut her off at the knees. ‘I want you, too.’ It was true, so why was she fighting it? ‘Jamie is sleeping over at my mother’s tonight because she’s taking him on a secret shopping trip tomorrow.’
‘Secret?’